SECURITY... 

• Vendors Warn of New Sober Variants - Both Kaspersky Lab and Symantec have detected worm variants. Kaspersky noted three variants of E-mail-Worm.Win32.Sober, which Symantec identified as W32.Sober.S@mm. The variants are modifications of the same program, according to Kaspersky, which is based in Moscow. A "large number of samples" of the variants have been intercepted in e-mail traffic, indicating that the worms are spreading by spam containing infected messages, Kaspersky said in a statement. The variants arrive as an attachment to infected messages.
• Sony recalls risky "rootkit" CDs - Anyone who has purchased one of the CDs, which include southern rockers Van Zant, Neil Diamond's latest album, and more than 18 others, can exchange the purchase, Sony said. The company added that it would release details of its CD exchange program "shortly."
• Sony DRM rootkit - The Uninstaller is worse than the Rootkit! -  A patch that Sony issued a week ago when virus writers began taking advantage of the software's file-hiding capabilities actually introduces serious new security risks onto the user's machine, according to research released today by Princeton University computer science professor Edward Felten.
• Hole Found in Widely Used VPN Gear - The flaw affects a component of the IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) protocol used by VPN software and hardware to securely exchange data over the Internet. While there is some risk of affected VPN systems being taken over by attackers, a more likely threat is a denial of service attack, in which machines would be forced to reset repeatedly, jamming up networks and causing headaches for users.
• Windows 2000 Server UPNP DoS (Exploit) -check it out!

CRIME/LAW...

• Chinese-American Engineer & Family Charged With Data Theft -  A grand jury indictment filed on Tuesday alleges that Chi Mak, a lead engineer for Anaheim defense contractor Power Paragon, took computer disks containing sensitive information pertaining to several U.S. Navy projects and conspired with members of his family to smuggle the information to China.
• IFPI Launches Largest Attack To Date on Illegal File Sharing - The recording industry today unveiled the biggest escalation yet in its campaign against illegal internet file-sharing, announcing over 2,100 new legal cases against individuals and extending the actions to five new countries in Europe, Asia and - for the first time - South America. File-sharers in Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Hong Kong and Singapore are for the first time at risk of criminal penalties and payment of damages in an international campaign that has already seen thousands of people - the majority of them young men between the ages of 20 and 30 - pay sums of US$3,000 or more for uploading copyrighted music on peer-to-peer networks (p2p).

OFF-TOPIC

• Gaming fanatics show hallmarks of drug addiction - Excessive computer gaming has the hallmarks of addiction, suggests new experiments on "drug memory". Learning is recognised as an important underlying mechanism of addiction. In becoming addicted, people start to associate cues that are normally neutral with the object of their craving. To a crack addict, for instance, a building in which they have used the drug is more than just a place they have been - it becomes a trigger for craving and can, on its own, reignite a need to use the drug again after months of abstinence.

TECHNOLOGY...

• AMD to debut quad-core chips by 2007 - EE Times has details from AMD's latest analyst conference call, including the revelation that quad-core processors could be introduced by 2007-a year earlier than previously expected
• Ballmer bowls for HD-DVD - Microsoft has reiterated its preference for the HD-DVD version of next-generation high definition optical storage, despite recent announcements of support for the rival Blu-ray format from several Hollywood studios. CEO Steve Ballmer said that Vista, the next version of Microsoft Windows, will eventually support HD-DVD, although possibly not when it is first released sometime in the next 18 months. HD-DVD is expected to make its debut early next year. Ballmer said that the company's support for HD-DVD was based on several reasons, including the way in which it can be integrated with the PC.
• Via integrates Padlock security into Java - VIA has announced that it has finished up integrating the Java Secure Protocol into the Padlock engine that sits inside its C7 and C7-M processors. The VIA Padlock engine is designed to increase security in transactions on your computer. There are a few different aspects to the hardware. The first is that it includes an awesome random number generator, which allows it to generate better cryptography in hardware. The second is that it includes the ability to encrypt an entire section of your hard drive, providing a secure file store for sensitive information that only you can access, regardless of who steals your computer in the future.
• Credit-card sized Samsung SGH-P300 debuts - Starting with a 1.8-inch 262K colour LCD with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, the SGH-P300 supports both audio and video playback in a variety of formats. MPEG4 and H.263 are on board for motion pictures, while MP3, AAC, AAC+ and eAAC+ files are supported by the audio player of the handset and can also be used as ringtones.
• FutureMark's SPMarkJava06 preview - The focus of SPMarkJava06 is (as the not-so-catchy name suggests) Java performance on modern mobile devices that support it. This certainly seems to be a logical progression for the SPMark series, seeing as Java has become something of a de facto standard among most new high-end devices of this ilk.
• Microsoft may open Windows for free - Microsoft is considering the possibility of free, advertising supported versions of its applications including Windows.
• Google Base service goes live - The new beta service allows people to post "all types of online and offline information and images" that will be searchable on Google Base and, depending on their relevance, may be searchable on Google Search, Froogle and Google Local, the company said.
• Patents database posted for developers - The site hosts more than 500 pledged patents and more than a dozen technical standards supported by additional patent pledges and covenants. Content hosted in the library is available to developers, users and vendors.
• US Keeps Control of the Internet - As a result of a a deal reached late Tuesday, the US and ICANN will maintain control over the Internet's core systems.

HARDWARE... 

• CPU - AMD Sempron 3400+(1) / AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (2) / AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
• Motherboard  - DFI NF4 SLI nForce4 SLI / Epox 8NPA SLI / Gigabyte K8N51GMF-9 nForce 430 / Intel 945P Motherboard / Sapphire Pure Innovation PI-A9RX480
• Complete / SFF Systems - Shuttle XPC SD31P
• Memory - Corsair 2GB Secure Digital 133x / Corsair XMS2 UL DDR2/667 Memory / Corsair's XPERT TWINXP1024-3200XL / OCZ High Grade Memory - PC4800 DDR and PC5400 DDR-2 / OCZ EB Platinum DDR500 Memory
• Storage - Sony DRU-810A Optical Storage Drive / Toshiba MK1032GSX 100GB 2.5" SATA Hard Disk
• Video - 7800 GTX 512: Overclocking and SLI-AA Performance / Albatron 6600GT (single and SLI) / ATI RD580: Dual x16 Crossfire / eVGA GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB / Gigabyte GeForce 7800 GTX / HIS Radeon X800 GTO IceQ II / NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX 512(1) / nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512(2) / Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512(3) / PowerColor Radeon X800 GT / XFX GeForce 6600 / XFX 7800GTX 512MB  / XGI Volari 8300
• Cooling - Asetek VapoChill Micro Series / AeroCool GT-1000 Cooler / Antec Notebook Cooler / Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro / Cooljag SFO-H (68YC) Skived Athlon64 Heatsink / Evercool K803-925CA HSF / PrimoChill PC ICE / Titan TTC-K8ATB-825-SC Athlon64 Heatsink / Zalman CNPS9500 Cooler
• Case - Antec Super Lanboy Aluminum ATX Computer Case  || Comp Geeks Masscool 520UI Enclosure / MGE XG Dragon Case / NZXT Lexa Tower Case / Silentmaxx ST-11 Pro / Thermaltake Muse: External Enclosure for 3.5" and 5.25" Devices
• PSU - Enermax Liberty 620Watt PSU / ePower XScale 570W (EP-570MP) / Turbo-Cool 510 SLI / XG Magnum 500W
• Sound - Creative X-fi Fatal1ty Sound Card / KOSS HQ1 Vibration Stereophone
• Peripheral - Mini-keyboard round-up  / Logitech G5 Laser Mouse / Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3100 Keyboard and Mouse Duo / Logitech MX5000 Cordless Laser Desktop(1) / Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser (2) / Microsoft Laser 6000 Mouse / Razer Copperhead High Precision Gaming Mouse || Icemat Mousepad
• Networking - Teac HD-35NAS
• Printer/Scanner - Epson AcuLaser C2600N
• Misc - Logitech Harmony 525 Universal Remote / Memory Pointer Review at ASE Labs / Metapo/Egen Power 150Watt Power Can Inverter / Mr Bulk LionCub LED flashlight
• Notebook - MSI M635 AMD Turion 64 Notebook / Sony VAIO FJ Series Notebook
• Cameras, MP3/DVD players/recorders - Canon PowerShot S80 digital camera || Buffalo Link Theater / LG LGDVB418 DVD Players/Recorders / Vantec AVOXJukebox || ProPorta Leather and Aluminium iPod Cases
• Phones/PDAs - Motorola ROKR E1 / Samsung SGH-D600 Mobile Phone

GUIDES...

• The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide Revision 8.5.4 - Adrian has updated his premier BIOS optimization guide.
• Fall 2005 Photo Printer Buyers Guide  - Some of the best printers offer 9600 x 2400 DPI and over 50 levels of gradation. Another important specification for inkjet printers is ink drop size, typically measured in picoliters. The smaller the number, the more ink per square inch can be placed on the paper. The more ink, the more accurate and lifelike the color of the print.
• Powering Up A Standalone PSU Guide - There may be times when you might want to power up a power supply unit (PSU) without attaching it to any computer case. Perhaps you want to use it to test fans, cold cathode tubes or other modding stuff, without connecting it to a chassis.
• How To Clean Your Keyboard - A Step By Step Guide - Many people have their own way of cleaning their keyboards, but most people usually just flip it upside down and shake it. Those who do spend money on compressed air or cleaning products, you are wasting money and time.
• Data Recovery Myths - Have you ever heard about freezing the hard drive, opening it on a bathroom full of steam or swapping its logic board in order to revive a dead hard drive?
• Guide to the Cellular Internet - Cellular internet access uses the cell phone network to connect. The performance is limited by the capabilities of the phone and the cell tower it is connected to. That performance could range anywhere from 14.4 kbps to 300+ kbps, but typical digital speeds are 50-120 kbps up/down. 300+ kbps is just starting to arrive in very few cities, but it is expected to continue replacing existing networks.
• Connecting Two PCs Using an USB-USB Cable - Learn how to connect two PCs using an USB-USB cable to transfer files and share your Internet connection.
• How to Build a Small Network Using a Broadband Router - Learn how to build your own network using a broadband router, allowing you to share Internet access, files and printers among your computers.
• How to Share Folders and Printers on Your Network - A step-by-step guide on how to share files and printers on your home or office network.
• The 8 Basic Steps of Image Editing - This series of steps will help you to focus on the individual problems an image might have. It will also help you to understand how to use Photoshop's tools together.
• Xbox 360 Manual (PDF) - check it out!
• XP Games - A Windows XP Freeware Game Guide v1.0.0 BETA - This guide covers the better Freeware games from Independent Developers and Commercial Publishers. The following games are 100% free full games, not Demos or Shareware. None have any Adware or Spyware.

SOFTWARE...

• AutoPatcher XP November 2005  - AutoPatcher XP (192MB) is an installation package designed to get your Windows XP system up to date quick and easily. This update package features a slick looking GUI and and can be customized to install as much or as little as you please.
• AutoPatcher 2003 and 2000 November 2005 - AutoPatcher 2003 / Autopatcher 2000 is a comprehensive collection of patches, addons and registry tweaks that give you peace of mind in the knowledge that your Windows system is up to date, even before you connect it to the Internet. It's designed to quickly patch a system with the most current updates and tweaks available, and requires no user interaction once you have selected what to install.
• 7-Zip 4.29 Beta - 7-Zip is a (free) file archiver with high compression ratio.
• TaskInfo 6.2.0.174 - TaskInfo (download) is combination of Task Manager and System Information Utility, It visually monitors different types of System information in Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.
• WinAmp 5.112 - Nullsoft Winamp (download full / lite) is a fast, flexible, high-fidelity media player for Windows. Winamp supports playback of many audio (MP3, OGG, AAC, WAV, MOD, XM, S3M, IT, MIDI, etc) and video types (AVI,ASF,MPEG,NSV), custom appearances called skins and more.
• Winamp TV 1.9 Beta 11a - Winamp TV is a plugin for Winamp that lets you control your TV tuner card from within the multimedia player.
• QuickTime Alternative 1.66 & 1.54 - QuickTime Alternative will allow you to play QuickTime files (.mov, .qt and other extensions) without having to install QuickTime Player from Apple. It also supports QuickTime content that is embedded in webpages.
• Nero Suite Update 2005-11-12 - Nero is a flexible, reliable, and easy-to-use application designed to write both data and CD audio to CD-R and CD-RW discs. Download: : Nero Burning Rom 6.6.0.18 (mirror1, mirror 2, mirror 3), NeroVision Express 3.1.0.21.
• DVDFab 2.9.5.6 - DVDFab Decrypter is a simple and freeware version of DVDFab Express. With it you can take your DVD movie and move it to your hard disk. DVDFab Decrypter will remove the protections found on some DVD's, including among others-CSS, Macrovision and Sony ARccOS while copying.
• FileZilla Server 0.9.11 - FileZilla is a fast FTP and SFTP client for Windows with a lot of features.
• FastStone Image Viewer 2.28 - FastStone Image Viewer (download) is a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It supports all major graphic formats (BMP, JPEG, JPEG 2000, animated GIF, PNG, PCX, TIFF, WMF, ICO and TGA) and popular digital camera RAW formats (CRW, CR2, NEF, PEF, RAF, MRW, ORF and DNG).
• Weather Watcher 5.6.1 - Weather Watcher (download) is your personal Windows desktop weather station. Automatically retrieve the current conditions, hourly forecast, daily forecast, detailed forecast, severe weather alerts, and weather maps for over 77,000 cities world-wide.
• Daemon Tools 4.00 - In case you don't know about Daemon Tools (download) yet, the software provides a virtual CD/DVD-ROM on your computer with which you can directly mount image files created by various other software packages.
•  nTweaker 2.0 - nTweaker 2.0 collects all the changes and settings that make each nVidia Detonator modded driver unique, and offers a streamlined and installer standard interface to switch between them.
• nVidia 'NiBiToR' 2.5a - For us performance nuts owning nVidia cards, another great utility, NiBiToR, has been updated. For those who haven't tried it yet, like Coolbits and nvclock it is software designed specifically to help you tweak your GeForce card.